We Outdoorsy hosts occupy a special role for our guests. While it’s true that we provide them with fun memories, family bonding time, and restoration of a connection to the outdoors — it’s also true that we provide a special medicine that people deeply need.
That medicine? Wellness. Time spent outdoors has tremendous power to heal. It’s known to lead to improvements in mood, mental health, and emotional well-being.
People need this healing. Our culture spends too much time at the office, in front of screens, and away from our families. The outdoor medicine we provide helps restore balance for the guests we serve.
So let’s chat about the specific ways to promote outdoor wellness as part of your listing.
The benefits of offering outdoor wellness to your guests
Promoting outdoor wellness to prospective renters should be something you do deliberately. That’s because it’s proven to give the following benefits to anyone you can inspire to rent an adventure with you:
- Reduces anxiety — Anxiety is a persistent problem in today’s noisy world. And it can have serious impacts on health like high blood pressure and heart disease. Even short bits of regular outdoor time are known to significantly reduce anxiety.
You could leverage this in your listing by kindly, yet directly addressing the fact that most folks that view your listing are probably stressed and you offer a healing option.
- Creates mental clarity — People often take vacations to generate renewed life/work focus upon their return.
Soaking in the outdoors is one of the best ways to create such clarity. Speak about this when you market your listing. - Provides vitamin D — Getting sun for 5-15 minutes 2-3 times per week is known to boost this vitamin that’s vital for bones, blood cells, and your immune system.
Show prospective guests sunny pictures and recommend sun-soaked spots near you so they can easily find this medicine.
- Improves sleep — Think about the last time you bunked up in your RV at a quiet campground with the windows open and nature quietly whispering outside. You slept like a log, right?
So why not market that to your guests too? The outdoors is known to create better sleep and this is probably something your guests are hungry for. Show them how you can give that to them.
- Boosts creativity — Travelers often seek new adventures that boost idea creation. Few spots are better for creativity than mountain meadows, hiking trails, and peaceful lakes.
You provide the key to these sorts of places for your guests. Tell them that.
How to market outdoor wellness to your guests
You and I both know the healing we have to offer guests — but how do you hook them in? There are several tactical and practical ways to promote outdoor wellness to prospective renters. Let’s dig in:
- Highlight it in your photos — Show sunny skies outside your listing and capture a picture of a sunset or sunrise out your door. Capture a member of your family peacefully resting in your rig. Snap a shot of you in a moment of inspiration at a workspace your guest could enjoy.
We are visual creatures — the more you can help prospective guests paint a mental picture of the wellness they’ll experience with you, the more likely you are to help them. - Be a guide for their outdoor wellness — You don’t need to be an outdoor Zen master. Simply share what you know about your area and the peaceful nooks, quiet hiking spots, and restorative nature that are within your range.
Put guidebooks in your rental and tidbits in your listing description that will inspire guests to pursue outdoor wellness in ways they might not have thought of. - Provide amenities that encourage outdoor engagement — You could offer things like an outdoor cookstove, folding fire pit, hangable hammocks, and folding picnic tables so your guests always have the tools they need for outdoor bonding.
Or you could provide something like a telescope for stargazing along with a guide to dark sky areas near you.
Get creative with amenities that’ll wow your guests and give them reasons to seek outdoor healing. - Offer outdoorsy add-ons — Many of these top add-ons offered by our veteran owners are known to inspire outdoor engagement.
Bike racks and bike rentals, for example, are one of the best ways to make your rental stand out while also creating an additional income stream for you.
Watercraft like kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are other revenue-generating add-ons you can offer that also inspire restorative aquatic activities.
Your listing dashboard offers you the opportunity to create a marketplace for virtually any creative things you want to offer guests to improve their outdoor wellness. Don’t be afraid to dream a little with what you offer! - Never underestimate the healing power of fire — Fire connects with something primal in our nature. It has a calming and connecting effect that’s unmatched by virtually any other activity.
Give your guests everything they need to have a fire whenever they can safely have it. Whether you provide s’more supplies, firewood, or both — do what you can to encourage this restorative outdoor activity. - Yoga is better outside — Throw a few yoga mats in your rental as a way of encouraging guests to engage in this practice outside. Fresh air will take this restorative practice to another level.
- Offer RV delivery to places you know are good for outdoor wellness — Many owners offer delivery and setup of their RVs. This service often provides a competitive edge because it adds convenience for your guests.
You could take this a step further by offering delivery and recommending certain campgrounds that you love to deliver to. Suggest delivery options that you know are good for outdoor healing such as a national or state park campground near you. - Deck out your rental with outdoor-inspiring stuff — Hang pictures that feature breathtaking outdoor photos, decorate your rig with quotes about the healing power of nature, and maybe even put a guest book in your rental that encourages guests to share their favorite outdoor memory.
These sorts of things will come together as a continual reminder to your guests that outdoor time is time well spent on their vacation. - Create creative spaces — If your rental doesn’t already have it, craft a space that gets the creative juices flowing. This can be as simple as putting a moonpod in a cozy nook so your guests can chilax and let their mind unwind.
Outdoor wellness is one of the most important things that we hosts provide our guests. While this might seem like an understatement, the truth is that we all probably undersell this offering more than we should. Weave the above steps into your listing to show spectators that you mean business when it comes to their outdoor health.
